President Barack Obamaarrived in Israel Wednesday, and gave a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The friendly tone of the exchange between Obama and Netanyahu suggested that they are trying, at least for the cameras, to put their differences aside. Netanyahu appeared to be particularly heartened by Obama’s message on Iran.

To Israeli ears, Netanyahu got what could be seen as a green light for unilateral action against Iran. On the peace process, there appeared to be little movement. Obama acknowledged that reviving the talks will be a hard slog and Netanyahu stuck to his guns by insisting on talks without preconditions. For the Palestinians, that means Netanyahu won’t agree to Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze as a condition for entering negotiations.

The Washington Wire’s live blog by JulianE. Barnes and Adam Entous follows:

Obama’s three-day visit is aimed at patching up ties with Israelis and Netanyahu. a conservative. The two got off to a friendly start, exchanging backpats just after Obama deplaned, and joked about past disagreements.

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu offered a warm welcome but didn’t mention contentious issues such as the peace process, Jewish settlements in the West Bank, or Washington’s handling of Iran’s nuclear program.

At the arrival ceremony, Netanyahu also praised Obama for his administration’s “generous military assistance, the revolutionary missile defense program, and unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation.”

The press conference hasn’t yet started, but the White House released a pool report about the exchange of gifts between Obama and Netanyahu. Obama gave Netanyahu a framed wooden artifact from the George Washington Room in the Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., one of the nation’s oldest synagogues. President George Washington visited the synagogue in 1790. It includes a plaque with this passage from Washington’s letter to the congregation: “…every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

–a set of original stationery by New York designer Christen Maxwell for Mrs. Sara Netanyahu and a sterling silver orchid brooch handcrafted by Hawaii artist Wayne Keeth. –Netanyahu’s daughter received a pair of candlesticks crafted by Maryland artist Zachary Oxman. –Netanyahu’s sons both received bronze Kiddush goblets by Oxman.

We are still waiting for Obama and Netanyahu to appear for the joint news conference. The delay could be an indication that the conversation between the two leaders has proven particularly productive, or there could be any number of more mundane explanations.

Netanyahu praises Obama’s speech delivered at today’s arrival ceremony and says that Israel has “no better friend” that the United States and continues to work with Washington on the “existential threat” of Iran.

Netanyahu said he remains committed to a two-state solution and the Palestinian peace process. That is key language the White House wanted to hear, but does not necessarily signal any great change in his approach to the peace process.

Back to Netanyahu for a minute: He says his new government is committed to two state solution but says no to any pre-conditions. To Palestinian ears, that means Israel won’t agree to a settlement building freeze before sitting down for talks.

Obama says the U.S. continues to work to hasten end of the Syrian regime and a new government that “respects the rights of all people.” Obama repeats his warning that the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people would be a “tragic mistake,” and the regime will be held accountable for the use of chemical weapons or their transfer to militant groups.

Asked about reports that chemical weapons were used in Syria on Tuesday, Obama says the U.S. intends to investigate to determine the nature of the incident. He does not confirm, or deny, that they were used. He says he has directed his team to try and discover if “the red line was crossed.”

Obama says that although the U.S. does not know if a chemical weapon was used by the Syrian regime, he says he is deeply skeptical of claims that the opposition was responsible for the use of chemical weapons.

Obama says the use of chemical weapons would be “a game changer” but declines to outline what steps the U.S. would take. “As is always the case, when it comes to issues of war and peace, having the facts before you act is important,” Obama says.

More on Syria: Many Syrian opposition leaders, U.S. lawmakers and European officials say Mr. Obama has been too cautious in Syria, citing his decision to shelve a proposal last year backed by the State Department and the CIA to provide U.S. arms to secular rebel fighters. Aides to Mr. Obama says the president believes providing more arms will only deepen the crisis.

Netanyahu says Obama has properly said Iran is a “grave and strategic threat.” And he says he believes Obama’s commitment to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and his commitment to ensuring that Israel can protect itself.

Netanyahu says Israel has a right to independently defend itself against the Iranian threat. Obama quickly adds that U.S.-Israeli intelligence cooperation is strong and there is “not a lot of daylight” between the two country’s assessments of where Iran is in developing nuclear weapons.

Obama says there are elements of good news when it comes to the peace process. He praises the Palestinian Authority’s ability to maintain security in the West Bank. But he says he wasn’t in Israel to make a big announcement that would not match up with reality.

“Trying to bring this to a clear settlement, a solution that would allow Israelis to feel they have broken out of the current isolation they are in in this region, that would allow economic growth in this country … to be a model for the region, for Palestinians to feel they, too, are masters of their own fate, for Israel to feel the possibility of rockets raining down is diminished, that kind of solution we haven’t seen,” he says.

Obama acknowledges there things he could have done differently in his first term related to the peace process, but says the “profound differences” between Israelis and Palestinians can’t be spun and negotiations are “a hard slog” and “people disagree.”

Obama says his goal is to make sure the U.S. is a “positive force” in the peace process and ensure that both parties know that Washington believes an agreement is important. “I actually believe Israel’s security will be enhanced with a resolution to this issue,” he says.

Barack...every state (and people) in the world has "the right to defend itself"...that's IR 101. But in this age of double speak and disingenuousness, if what you are really saying is that Israel has the right to attack a country that has never attacked anyone in modern times - like Iran - well that's something else. You should tell this apartheid, war-mongering state with its political class chock full of rapists and embezzlers that US taxpayers and military are not going to bear the cost. Military funding and billions in "aid" US taxpayers funnel to this OECD high income state will stop. And you'll have the US vote with the "world community" in the UN for sanctions against Israel if they embarked on that course. Now that would be growing backbone worthy of respect...

6:47 pm March 20, 2013

M-134 wrote:

Why would anyone even consider believing anything Obama might say?

5:53 pm March 20, 2013

realist wrote:

I am an obsessive, compulsive Obama hater. Sure it distorts reality for me, but what can you do?

4:40 pm March 20, 2013

Realist wrote:

What else can Netanyahu say? Like the rest of us, he is stuck with this imb-cile for the next four years. God help us all.

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